Cure Seekers
by dtill359
Summary: When Earth is assaulted by an alien force, Terran humanity's champions, the Star Force, have no choice but to set out on a quest for a cure to what ails their homeworld. Along the way they encounter resistance, meet new friends, and forge through the fires of tribulation to see an ancient promise fulfilled. AU. "The Sands of Time Are Sinking", Book 2
1. Dramatis Persona

**Dramatis Persona**  
>-Those we've met thus far – and some we haven't-<p>

_Earth_

**Captain Abraham Avatar:** Seasoned captain in the Earth Defense Forces; American  
>Late sixties, early seventies | Male<p>

**Dr. Sado Sane: **Veteran medical doctor; longtime friend of Captain Avatar; Japanese  
>Late sixties, early seventies | Male<p>

**Derek Wildstar: **New graduate of the Earth Defense Academy; lacks a sense of belonging due to the tragic death of his family; Japanese-American  
>Late teens, early twenties | Male<p>

**Nova Forrester:** New graduate of the Earth Defense Academy; professional and determined, a young woman of character; American  
>Late teens, early twenties | Female<p>

**Mark Venture:** New graduate of the Earth Defense Academy; sensible and level-headed, Wildstar's good friend who balanced out his impetuous nature; British  
>Late teens, early twenties | Male<p>

**Homer Glitchman:** Earth Defense Force communications specialist; Jewish  
>Early-mid twenties | Male<p>

**Stephen Sandor:** Head of the Earth Defense Force's newly established Alien Science division; Russian-American  
>Early-thirties | Male<p>

**Peter Conroy: **Pilot in the Earth Defense Force; Canadian  
>Early-mid twenties | Male<p>

**Commander Thadeus Singleton:** Head of the Earth Defense Force  
>Late sixties, early seventies | Male<p>

**Patrick Orion: **Veteran engineer; good friend of Abraham Avatar and Sado Sane; Irish  
>Late sixties, early seventies | Male<p>

**Feria Noble:** New graduate of the Earth Defense Academy; good friend of Nova Forrester; Korean  
>Late teens, early twenties | Female<p>

_Gamilon_

**Leader Desslok III:** Ruler of Gamilon; bent on the occupation of Earth  
>Mid-late twenties | Male<p>

**Deun the Outcast: **Leader Desslok's elder twin brother; disinherited as a result of attempting to murder his father; former usurper of his brother's throne  
>Mid-late twenties | Male<p>

**Masterson Talan: **Only child of Admiral Raymond Talan; Mossadi agent; Desslok's loyal friend, temporarily exiled for protesting the occupation of Earth  
>Mid-late twenties | Male<p>

**Krypt:** Advisor to Leader Desslok; former subordinate of Deun the Outcast  
>Late-fifties, early sixties | Male<p>

**Admiral Raymond Talan:** Masterson's father; Masterson's informant within the palace on  
>Gamilon<br>Fifties | Male

**Queen Talonka: **Deun & Desslok's mother; Murdered when her sons were eight; Left her younger son a chronicle of her family history which holds the key to many mysteries he has yet to uncover  
>Deceased | Female<p>

**General Dommel Lysis:** Commander of the Gamilon Royal Navy  
>Forties | Male<p>

**David Lysis:** Younger brother of General Lysis; officer on Masterson Talan's ship  
>Thirties | Male<p>

**Elisa Lysis:** General Lysis' wife; diplomatic advisor to Leader Desslok's council members  
>Forties | Female<p>

**Miezela Celestella:** New chief advisor to Leader Desslok; clandestine shêd-wielder along with her half-sister, Mirenel Linke  
>Mid-late twenties | Female<p>

**Nathan Chamal:** One of the Etzuvim; a scientist of note whose sympathes lie with Earth  
>Late thirties, early forties | Male<p>

**Lieutenant Wolf Frakken:** Appointed captain of the Ze'evim – Wolf Pack – under the direct command of General Lysis; Dommel's brother-in-law and Elisa's half-brother  
>Thirties | Male<p>

_Iscandari_

**Starsha: **Queen of Iscandar; second of three princesses: she, Astra, and Sasha; staunch defender  
>of Earth against Desslok's onslaught<br>Mid-late twenties | Female

**Astra:** Eldest of the Iscandari princesses; Starsha's twin; messenger of hope to Earth  
>Mid-late twenties | Female<p> 


	2. What's Gone on Before

**What's Gone on Before**

Time is running out for Gamilon as it suffers from a planet-killing virus. Its ruler, Leader Desslok, has found a way to save his people from their impending doom, but to do it, he must exterminate the inhabitants of the world he has chosen to be the Gamilon people's new home – Earth. Now Terran humanity's world is riddled with deadly radiation that has forced the entire population underground in order to survive.

But Gamilon's twin world has protested the Leader's act, and, unbeknownst to Desslok, Queen Starsha of Iscandar has sent her sister Astra to Earth with a message of hope, giving them a way to restore their world as well as a means to defend themselves from Gamilon's military might. But will they give credence to a message from an unknown source?

It is here that we join the story once again.


	3. Prologue

**Prologue**

Wings rustled and pure light surrounded him.

The angel dared not look up to see the source of either sound or sight. The rustling was the seraphim, he knew, but he had never seen one of his six-winged brethren – unless the Lucifer the Fallen qualified. To raise his head while in the presence of the Almighty, even to simply quell his curiosity, was unthinkable. The light... the Shekinah... was so terrible and awesome that should he look fully upon it, it would be too much for him.

"Sovereign." the angel bowed low before his Lord, never even hinting at raising his eyes to meet Shaddai's. "I have come as You decreed."

The only sound was the song of the seraphim as they flew high above the throne of the Almighty.

Then, a voice like thunder, with the majesty of a thousand roaring fountains of water uttered, "Arach. Well done."

"I thank You, my Lord." Arach replied, "It is an honor to be a messenger to the world of men. Though its glory has faded since the Beginning, it remains a sight to behold."

Again there was silence, and Arach waited, the whisking of wings through the air and the melody of reverence filling the void between the Almighty and His creature.

That void was suddenly filled when Shaddai announced, "Your face shall not be seen again by mortal eyes until the promise I have made to Earth itself has been proven to man once again."

"They have tried to test it so many times, Sovereign..." Arach replied, downcast.

To the angel's surprise, Shaddai began to laugh, a melodic sound that could have soothed the most tumultuous soul. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, a hand marred by men. "A'dam's seed has tried many times to prove its independence from Me."

"Elohim..." Arach smiled and finally raised his face to look into the eyes of the one mortals called "Christ."

"But they have never and will never be able to separate themselves from Me, for I am their Maker. Shall the thing formed say to the One who formed it, 'Why hast Thou made me thus?'" said Elohim.

At this Arach's face fell. "One has."

"Yes," Elohim nodded, "Yes, one has, just as many others have before him." The Son of Shaddai's expression did not waver. "He will know My reasons someday, Arach. Do not be dismayed by the demands of the one you must now follow. He does not know the mind of Shaddai, nor is he a son of Shaddai that he should have fellowship with Him."

"I know this, Elohim... I simply cannot fathom his reasoning most of the time. It is... troubling at the least."

Elohim nodded again, "He denies Shaddai; his reasoning will not be sound."

Arach sighed and was silent for a moment, then asked the question that had been weighing on his mind ever since he had returned from the wilderness of Gamilon. "Is this one so significant, my Lord? Why not put more effort into one a bit less... infuriatingly stubborn?"

Elohim did not reply with words, instead He simply met His creature's gaze with a look that left him in speechless silence for so long that Arach thought he would never find his tongue again, but finally he did and in horrified regret he stuttered, "I – I am sorry my Lord... I did not mean to question such – such –" he again lost all words.

Elohim smiled graciously and nodded, "I understand, Arach, you need not apologize. The mind of Shaddai is not something to be easily fathomed by one not a part of Him."

Arach tried to reply, but gave up and finally just nodded and said simply, "Yes, my Lord..." he bowed his head, humbled again by the words of Elohim. As soon as his face turned from Elohim, Arach sensed His presence shift and he feared to lift his gaze again, knowing that it was now with Shaddai that he spoke once again.

"Now, Arach. You see a small portion of what I have for my Creation. Are you now content to return to your place in the world of men?" the Sovereign asked, knowing already the answer He would receive.

"I am." Arach breathed, a thrill running through him as he remembered what he had just seen in Elohim's eyes.

"Good." the Sovereign replied, a smile in His words. "You will not be alone."

Arach's eyes widened when he heard this. _"Who...?"_ the question was still echoing in his mind when he heard his Lord's voice again.

"Arkan." Shaddai summoned.

Almost immediately another angel appeared next to Arach. He too bowed low before Shaddai.

"Sovereign." he addressed his Lord in reverence.

"You will go to the world of men as well, but like your brother, mortal eyes shall not behold your face until mankind has tested my promise to them once again." said Shaddai.

"Why do they test Your promises so often, Sovereign?" Arkan questioned, a bit of fire igniting in the second angel's eyes. "Do they so soon forget that You cannot lie?"

Arach looked over at his brother, agreeing with his sentiments, but also changed by the revelation he had received from the Son of Shaddai, and though he sympathized with Arkan, he could not share his anger.

The Sovereign did not reply immediately, but when He did, there was sadness in His voice.

"Men think themselves able to live without Me. So many of them have tried; and so many of them have perished in their rebellion. They do not understand that even the most 'insignificant' one among them is most precious to Me. I have given them so many images of My love for them... and they, with the help of the Fallen one, have distorted them all so that few see the true glory that still resides in those marred images." Then Shaddai fell silent.

The seraphim song rolled on, filling the void, and lending a measure of comfort to the angels after Shaddai's sad words.

The moment was short-lived.

"I seem to have heard my name called." an irreverent voice sounded quite suddenly from behind Arach and Arkan. The two immediately whirled and drew the swords of light they always bore when in Shaddai's realm.

"Lucifer!" Arkan spat the name of the rebel seraph. "You've no right –"

"Peace, Arkan." Shaddai stayed the angel. "He is here for a purpose."

Grudgingly, Arkan obeyed and fell immediately silent. Arach never said a word, merely gazing with suspicion at the Fallen one who, to both angels' not-so-secret amusement, was forced to lower his own gaze to the ground before the presence of the Sovereign.

"Now," Shaddai's voice thundered, "As all have now gathered, I will make my decree to you."

No one spoke, not even Lucifer, and Arach and Arkan turned to fall on bended knee before the Sovereign; Lucifer still stood, but his eyes remained averted.

Shaddai spoke again, and the very foundation of Heaven rumbled with the absolute authority of His words. "Men have the will to choose whether or not they will come to Me; as it has always been, none of you will force the choice of eternity upon any soul. It is their choice, not yours."

Lucifer visibly flinched at the words of the Sovereign as Arach and Arkan nodded in complete agreement.

"Destroyer!" The name rang through the throne room and the Fallen Seraph's face turned wrathful, but he dared not let his anger boil over.

"Yes. Most. High." Lucifer replied through gritted teeth.

"Should you try to force this choice upon _any_, these, my servants, have My authority to hinder you." Shaddai said, his voice carrying the weight of omniscient eternity.

"Yes. Most. High." Lucifer repeated, unwilling to say anything more.

"Go." the Sovereign bid the Fallen one.

Instantly, Lucifer was gone and the two angels breathed relieved sighs.

"Stand to your feet, servants of Light." Arkan and Arach found themselves looking upon two pierced feet and they both stood, now before Elohim. "There is much I would tell you before you depart for the world of men. Your stay will be long as men measure the creature they call 'Time,' and sometimes there will not seem to be much to do, but you must always be aware of the Destroyer and his servants." Elohim paused and looked first at Arkan, then Arach. "Do not seem so burdened, sons of Shaddai. I AM the beginning and the end. I know what was, what is, and what is to come, and My Spirit has already gone before you. He guides My redeemed ones into all truth, and He will never fail to communicate the will of Shaddai to them, for He is a part of the Sovereign, as I AM." a sudden calm fell between the two angels, and Elohim added, "Even though My Spirit cannot live in you as He does my sons and daughters, I AM with you, as I have always been. Now come, and I will prepare you for the task at hand."

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue Inspired by:<strong>  
>- "My Eyes Have Seen the Savior" from the Herbster Evangelistic Ministries CD "Expressions of Gratitude."<p> 


	4. Episode 1: Facing the Enemy

**Episode 1: Facing the Enemy**

"Captain! They're closing in on our position." The radar man exclaimed from his station, the fear in his eyes, evident.

"Increase our speed." Abraham Avatar, captain of the Earth Defense Force flagship 227 ordered in a last-ditch effort to shake off the enemy fleet.

"We're straining the engine as it is, Captain." The familiar voice of his old friend and trusted engineer Patrick Orion announced from the engine room. "She's about to shake herself apart if we keep up this speed.

"Fleet status." Said Avatar, his captain's hat sinking down into its usual position, almost hiding his eyes from view. His white hair and beard seemed to become even more snowy with every battle lost to this alien force and every man he lost to them.

"We're going down fast, Sir." The radar man replied again, "We're lost all but five ships and – no… four, and this flagship."

The captain stood quietly for half a second, then opened his mouth to speak.

"Incoming missile!" the radar man exclaimed. "It's heading right for – "

He was cut off when the round slammed into the ship very near the bridge, exploding violently and sending the front viewport shattering into a million deadly pieces. The shrapnel cut through the thick ship air. Chunks of metal, glass, and thick plastic, like knives, sliced through the bridge.

Screams of pain and bellows of wrath echoed all through the bridge. Blood was all over the floor and walls in places where men and woman had failed to get out of the way of some of the bigger pieces of debris. More than one curse flew at the despised invaders.

The lights on the bridge went out and the artificial gravity suddenly kicked off, sending every loose object in the room racing through the air towards the ragged hole in the front of the ship. The lifeless bodies of the dead were sucked towards the opening, but didn't get the chance to escape. The safety locks sealed the gaping hole within seconds, stopping the outflow of air and debris.

Captain Avatar, who'd been knocked to his knees by the blast, struggled to his feet. He winced, a sudden pain searing into his right side. He looked down, and in the crimson emergency lights, he could see an ugly shard sticking out of his side.

He glanced around quickly, wanting to know if anyone had noticed his injury. Seeing that the crew was still recovering from their own falls or injuries and seemed none the wiser to his condition, he pulled his captain's coat around him and made sure that it was buttoned closed, completely concealing his bloody wound.

"Everyone up!" he ordered, sadly noting that there were a few who would never stand again. "Status!"

The voices of his crew, less a few, replied.

"Significant damage to decks one through seven, fires reported on deck four, power is running off of the emergency generator until the main power core can be repaired and restarted."

"How long?" Avatar questioned immediately.

The crewman who had given the report listened carefully to the head of the repair team, then replied, "Ten minutes, Captain."

"It's too long!" Avatar replied, "Do it in seven or we won't be seeing Earth again."

"Yes, Sir!" the crewman replied, relaying the message to the repair team.

"Captain!" another crewman exclaimed, "Message from the _Yukikaze_. They have what we came for. They've got the information on the enemy's base on Pluto!"

"What's the status of the fleet?" the captain asked again.

"We have –" the radar man's face fell, "It's just us, Captain, us and _Yukikaze_… The rest are… all gone…"

"Let's get out of here. Helmsman," Avatar ordered, "Turn us around."

"Captain, the repair crew isn't finished yet."

Avatar took a deep, painful breath, nearly wincing, "We have to get out of here, no matter what." He said, the determination in his voice, bolstering the flagging crew, "Go as quickly as we can on reserve power until the core is back on line."

"Yes, Sir." The helmsman replied, "But I don't think we'll get very far."

"That is not your call to make, Helmsman." Avatar chided.

"Yes… Sir." The helmsman replied, rebuked. "Turning the ship about now."

The flagship turned sluggishly and was instantly a target for a thick patch of enemy ships that had seen the Earth-ship in distress and closed in for the kill like sharks swarming a wounded fish.

"They're surrounding us, Captain!" The radar man announced, a shade of panic thick and heavy in his young voice," Enemy fire closing in!"

"Evasive maneuvers." Avatar ordered.

The helmsman responded as quickly as he could, avoiding some of the barrage, but catching several hits squarely in the already scarred hull.

The ship rocked violently. Avatar reached out and clutched the nearest console so hard that his hand felt like it would never be able to unmold itself from the metal. But better that than hitting the floor again and jarring his already burning side into a more irritated state. Sado Sane at Central Hospital – another old friend of his – would have to see to it when they made it back to Earth – or rather, _if_ they made it back.

"Another round like that, Captain and we'd just as well kiss the universe good-bye." The voice of Patrick Orion sounded over the ship's comm.

"_We didn't come here to die."_ Avatar thought, gritting his teeth, "What's the status on the core?"

"Two minutes, Captain." The repair team leader replied.

"I told you seven minutes, crewman. It's been six. You have sixty seconds. Make it count!" the Captain countered.

"Yes, Sir." Came the reply.

"_We won't make it like this." _The Captain thought, desperately searching for something, some way to get the rest of his men out of this death-trap and back home to their Earth, scarred though she was by Gamilon's poison. _"Lord, bring us back home. These men are in my charge. I have already failed so many of them. Please, help me to keep my promise to the rest of them..."_

"Sir, enemy ships are charging weapons." One of the crew announced.

"_No…"_ Avatar closed his eyes, not yet ready to accept the deaths of his men, but unsure of how to avoid it now.

"Captain!" the radar man exclaimed.

Avatar's eyes shot open.

"Captain it's the _Yukikaze_! She's moving to intercept the enemy ships – no, she's luring them away, distracting them! Captain, the enemy ships are _all_ following _Yukikaze_!"

"Get Captain Wildstar on the comm line!" Avatar ordered. "Now!"

"Yes, Sir!"

An instant later the voice of young Captain Alex Wildstar echoed through the flagship bridge. If the ship's power had been restored, light brown hair and fierce brown eyes would have stared determinedly into the faces of every one of Captain Avatar's living bridge crew. Instead, Alex's stalwart voice rang through the ship.

"Go! We'll draw their fire while you get out of here." The young captain said.

"Wildstar, no!" Avatar's first reaction was to protest. What Alex was proposing meant certain death for him and the sixteen other men on _Yukikaze_.

"We've all decided, Captain. We're doing this for our home, for those we've spent our lives protecting – our spouses, children, parents, friends. They're all our responsibility."

That instant, the flagship's main power flickered back on.

"We're sending you the information we retrieved now. Take it home, Captain. Take it home and come back to Pluto soon and kick these parasites out of our solar system." There was a second of dead air, and Avatar could hear Wildstar taking a deep breath. Then the young captain said, "I'll see you later."

"Wildstar! Wildstar!" Avatar tried to bring the other captain back up on the comm, but failed, "On screen!" he finally ordered, and watched with a mix of horror and sadness as _Yukikaze_ sailed off, the enemy ships pursuing her at top speed.

The flagship bridge was deathly silent, heavy emotions echoed through them all. A sense of deep loss sank through Avatar's heart as he watched _Yukikaze_ disappear into a bright ball of light and he fought back the wave of grief that came over him.

"All ahead full." Avatar ordered his voice gravelly and tight, "We're going home."

None of the crew questioned him, but as they moved as quickly as they could out of the battle zone, the entire bridge was silent.

Once they were out of Pluto space, the radar man finally broke the silence.

"Captain…" he said hesitantly.

"Yes, crewman." Avatar replied slowly, "You have something constructive to say?"

"Yes, Captain." He replied, "During the… battle… there was a ship that showed up briefly on our radar."

"And the significance of it?" Avatar urged.

"Sir, it wasn't ours. But it also wasn't Gamilon."

At this, the bridge went silent again, but this time the silence was a haunted one.

"It – it could have been a ghost image." The helmsman offered.

"That was no ghost." The radar man replied. "It was a ship. And it was headed straight for Mars' orbit."

"Notify the EDF of this." Avatar ordered, "and send them any telemetry data we have on this third entity."

"Yes, Sir." The communications officer immediately began sending everything they had gathered back home to Earth.

"_Lord, give me strength to walk the road You've laid out for me."_ The Captain prayed as he left the bridge so that he could rest in his quarters, and try to keep his wound from getting any worse. He would have to summon one of the few ship medics they had been able to bring with them. Either that or bleed out slowly before they even reached Neptune's orbit. _"Help me…"_ he began, but couldn't finish as the reality of what he had just lost settled on his heavy heart.

"_Adam… why did you have to be assigned to _Yukikaze…_?"_ With that the captain stepped through the door to his quarters and sat slowly on the small bed and wept for the son he had just lost.

* * *

><p>"Whoa!" Cadet Derek Wildstar, one of the two new graduates of the Space Academy back on Earth was nearly knocked off his feet when the ground rumbled beneath him. "What was that? A train wreck next door?"<p>

"It probably has something to do with whatever just crash landed a few miles from here." Mark Venture, the other lucky Cadet who'd been assigned to the observation post replied blandly, rolling his eyes at Wildstar's characteristically exaggerated expressions. "We just received a message from EDF headquarters saying that the returning Pluto fleet saw something headed our way."

"Gamilon?" Wildstar asked, a look of ferocity suddenly lighting up his eyes.

"No…" Venture replied, a little annoyed with Derek's constant thirst for conflict. "The little data they were able to get didn't match anything we know about Gamilon."

"Could be some new ship." Derek countered.

"I highly doubt that." Venture replied, "The basic ship construction isn't anything like any of the Gamilon ships we've ever encountered."

"Oh, and I suppose you're an expert on these things." Wildstar replied, skeptically.

"No, I just pay attention when we get those reports every week from HQ."

"Oh… Those…" Derek avoided Mark's gaze, feeling the slightest bit stupid for about two seconds. "So, let's go check it out."

"Check what out?"

"The wreck." Derek replied, instantly snatching his helmet from its hook. The bright red headgear was hard to miss in the dingy gray building. "We can't just sit here when there's something like that out there waiting for us."

Venture sighed heavily, "All right, he relented, but I want to go on record as being against this. We should wait until the Pluto fleet gets here."

"And does what? Fly by in orbit and scan it with their sensors? Come on, Venture. It's just not the same as getting a close look. Plus, they'll be itching to get home. They aren't going to want to hang around here for half an hour to look at some ship that couldn't even manage settle into proper orbit."

"Alright, alright. Let's just go and get back and be done with it." Venture surrendered, grabbing his own bright red flight helmet.

The two young men made sure their suits were sealed and air leak-free.

Within ten minutes they were ready to go.

The flight to the crash site took less than three minutes.

"There." Venture pointed out the window of the scout ship, "It looks like an escape pod."

"The ship looks to be a good distance that way." Wildstar pointed to the west, "They had to have ejected right before or right after they entered the atmosphere.

"Either way, that pod hit hard. It looks like – Wildstar, there's a body down there!"

Derek's eyes widened as he saw what his partner had. There, lying in the red sands of Mars, lay the still form of a woman.

"We've got to get down there. She might still be alive." With that Derek took the ship down as quickly as he dared.

The two leapt out of the craft almost as soon as her runners touched the sand.

They sprinted through the thick sand, their legs going much slower than they would have liked due to the terrain, but finally they reached the woman's side.

Derek reached down and propped the woman's body up and checked for some indication of a pulse, or any sign of life. The vitals monitor in his suit returned negative.

Derek shook his head sadly, "She's dead…" he looked more closely at her and after a very long look he added, "She's beautiful…"

The woman's long blonde hair flowed down onto the sand so elegantly that Derek hated to disturb it any further. Her long violet dress hid all of her body, except her delicate hands. They were a pale color, somewhere close to Venture's skin-tone.

"Who is she…?" Derek asked, more to himself than to Venture.

"Don't know…" Mark replied anyway, "There are no indications of her world of origin. Where do you think she's from?"

"How should I know? Why was she out as far as Pluto space anyway? She looks like she could be from Earth."

"Not in _that_ ship." Mark replied, indicating the sleek, golden vessel they could see jutting out of the sand just on the far horizon. "So it's not just us and Gamilon anymore then. There's someone else out there."

"What's this?" Derek suddenly exclaimed. He reached out and touched the woman's left hand, which appeared to be wrapped around something. "Whatever it is, it must have been very important to her." He managed to pry open her fingers enough to remove the object. He held it up for Mark to see. "What do you think it is?"

"I have no idea." Venture replied, "But we have to take back everything we can. What we don't get, one of the Pluto ships will have to pick up. This is too important of a find to leave any of it here."

"Agreed." Derek replied, "But let's get her," he looked down at the dead woman again, "and this… thing," he studied the strange crimson tube, its core of blue light pulsing as he held it, "back to the outpost." He scooped up the stranger and carefully transported her spent body back to the ship.


	5. Episode 2: Defeat - Pluto Fleet Returns

**Episode 2: Defeat: The Pluto Fleet Returns**

Captain Abraham Avatar stared out into the expanse of space from his cramped quarters onboard flagship 227 – the last of the EDF's true flagships; the rest had been destroyed one by one by the Gamilon warships.

Here, so far from the conflict at Pluto, it was quiet; but the silence was not one filled with peace, but rather, with anxiety and sadness. Nearly everyone on the ship had lost someone they knew in the conflict, not just this one battle, but during this entire ordeal.

One day the world had simply changed. Avatar remembered that day much too well; it was the day he'd lost his wife and daughter; it was also the day that he had marched into Charles T. – Thaddeus – Singleton's office and in anger and grief declared that the American military was obligated to respond to this threat immediately.

Singleton – then head of the United States' armed forces – had responded in his usual level-headed way and assured "Abraham," as he had been known then, that measures would be taken.

A mere two weeks later, the Earth Defense Force was born and its headquarters established in an office complex in Tokyo, Japan. Thaddeus had been called on to head up the organization and had, of course, readily accepted the appointment.

But Avatar's old friend hadn't left him to grieve alone. Thaddeus had lost his own family in the same assault the Abraham had, though he hadn't discovered his own loss until several days after the attack. The new Commander-to-be was brought in to identify the bodies of his son and daughter-in-law.

Their deaths left Thaddeus to look after his only grand-daughter, ten year old Wendy, a shy red-headed girl with an intellect Thaddeus knew would take her far in life.

"_Nine years…"_ Avatar thought, _"Has it really been so long since it all began...?"_

The ship's recycled air felt cold, infused with the chill of space. It made him want to retreat to a warm corner and stay there for the remained of his time in space.

Travel off-world was becoming more and more cumbersome with every passing year. His health wasn't as good as it could be. Genetics and old age had set in and were beginning to overtake him. But in all of this, Abraham still held to the Lord who had brought him through it all. In good times, or in bad, the old captain had always had one Friend always with him. When his family was killed, the only stay he had been left with was God himself, and Abraham and He had had many a long conversation since then.

The Captain stared at his reflection in the viewport, _"Man was not created to live like this… in fear… hiding underground from the death that rains down on us now. Surely Earth herself was meant for better than this, Lord."_

"Captain?"

There was a knock at the door.

"Yes." Avatar answered.

The door opened and the XO stepped in, the door closing behind him.

"Sir, I know we suffered… tremendous losses… but… there is something that must be brought to your attention."

Captain Avatar, suddenly very aware of his new wound, made sure that his coat concealed the temporary dressing the ship's medic had put on for him.

"What is it?" Avatar asked, his eyes never leaving the starry expanse.

"EDF headquarters received information about a ship that crashed on Mars sometime during our… encounter. They've requested that we go to Mars and retrieve the wreckage along with the two cadets stationed at the observation post there; cadets Venture and Wildstar."

At the last name Avatar's eyes widened for the briefest second, "'Wildstar,' you say?"

"Yes, Sir. I believe he is… Captain Wildstar's younger brother." The XO replied cautiously.

Avatar nodded, finally turning his head to look at the other man, but carefully keeping his wounded side hidden from the officer. "I see." The captain paused, a hundred thoughts crowding into his mind all at once. "The ship – it's one of ours?"

The XO hesitated, "No – no, Sir, not ours." There was another pause, "And not _theirs_ either."

Avatar's face turned from sad to grim. "Survivors?"

The officer took a breath and waited just a moment too long to reply.

"They're dead then." Avatar interjected soberly.

"Yes…" the officer replied. "There was one crewman, apparently female. The report from the Mars station says it looks like she was thrown from her escape pod when it hit dirt. The pod seems to have malfunctioned; its propulsion system was offline and when it crashed, it opened and threw the woman clear. She died on impact."

The Captain nodded, "Make the arrangements for the retrieval."

"Yes, Sir." The officer saluted, his right fist resting over his heart in the standard EDF gesture. Then he turned and left, sending the captain's quarters once again into tense silence, but this time it was tinged with dread.

* * *

><p>"Venture, the ship's here to make the pickup. You ready?" Wildstar called back to Mark who was slowly closing his luggage bag back in the cramped eight by eight room that he and Derek had shared for their stint on Mars – time that had just screeched to an abrupt halt because of this strange incident.<p>

Mark and Derek had known each other at the Earth Defense Academy, but hadn't really been good friends until their last year there. Mark took so much time on weekends and holidays to spend with his family while Derek always moped around campus during the breaks.

The two were very different, but those differences seemed to balance each other out well and as a result, the two had survived their time on Mars without too many disagreements getting out of hand.

"Coming!" Mark belted back. He secured his helmet, shouldered his bag, and stepped out of the tiny living space. On his way out he noticed the char mark on the wall and nearly burst out laughing at the sight of it. Some of Wildstar's stunts during their isolation here hadn't ended so well, but some of them had at least been entertaining.

"If you don't hurry up the ship will have picked up the wreck and left by the time we get there!" Wildstar's voice crackled through Mark's helmet-mic now.

"I know, I know. I'll be there in thirty seconds." Venture shook his head and muttered to himself, "Just as impatient as ever."

"Hey, I heard that." Came the response.

"Just wait up." Mark replied.

Venture arrived before his estimated thirty seconds expired and boarded the small plane they would use to rendezvous with the flagship.

As he stepped on board he noticed an antiseptic smell. "What's with the doctor's office odor?" he asked into his mic.

"EDF wanted everything hosed down after we put the 'alien' and 'alien artifacts' on board." Derek replied, a bit annoyed, "General Stone and his usual paranoia about 'icky germs infecting the rest of the sorry population of Earth before we all die.'"

Venture fought to keep from laughing at the other cadet's impersonation of Commander Singleton's second in command.

"Well, at least we don't have to spend the entire trip home in here." Venture replied.

The only response he got was a laugh.

Mark shook his head at his friend's reply and quickly made his way up to the cockpit so that they could leave.

Fifteen minutes later they saw flagship 227 waiting above the crash site.

"Permission to dock." Wildstar hailed the other ship.

"Permission granted." Came the reply.

Wildstar piloted the ship into the hangar and docked in one of the empty bays. As soon as the ship was securely in its place, Wildstar and Venture disembarked.

"The pilot's body and her escape pod are on board." Wildstar informed the ship's XO via radio.

"Thank you, Cadet Wildstar." The officer replied. "You and Cadet Venture meet me outside the hanger. I will show you to your quarters."

"Yes, Sir." Derek replied then said to Mark, "Come on, maybe we'll see my brother's ship on the way out. This hangar should be nearly full."

Mark hurriedly followed Wildstar through the gigantic hangar.

Derek ran to the first bay and eagerly peaked in. Seeing nothing, he ran to the next one, and then the next. With every empty bay, Wildstar's heart began to sink.

Derek returned to Venture – who was only half way down the hangar – his head hung low, face dark, "They're… they're all empty." He said, "Every… single… one… Alex's ship _has_ to be here somewhere."

Venture's heart plummeted into his stomach; something was terribly wrong, "Maybe his ship returned to Earth on another of the flagships."

Derek nodded ever so slowly, "Yeah… Yeah, that's gotta be it."

The two walked the rest of the way to the exit in silence.

Just before they reached the door however, someone walked in – two someones in fact.

"Captain! Captain, we don't know what the pilot might be carrying; we can't just –" the man dressed like a medic protested to an older man wearing a captain's coat and hat. His white hair and beard stood out in stark contrast to the black of his coat.

"I know the risks; but if I expect my science team to look through an alien craft, the least I can do is make sure it's safe for them to do so."

"But Captain, your –"

"I'm fine, doctor. Please," the older man looked up to see Mark and Derek standing there staring at them. "Let Hamilton know his two cadets are here to meet him."

"Yes… Captain." The medical officer nodded and disappeared back out the hangar door.

"Captain?" Wildstar approached the older man boldly, "Captain… Avatar?"

"Yes?" the veteran addressed the young man, wondering why he had approached him.

"I'm Derek Wildstar. I'm –"

"Alex Wildstar's brother." The Captain finished. "Yes... I know. You look just like him."

"Where is he? Did his ship go back with the rest of the fleet?" Derek asked.

Captain Avatar didn't respond right away. Instead he stood silently for a very long moment.

"Captain?" Derek pleaded with the man to answer him.

"We _are_ the Pluto fleet, Wildstar." Captain Avatar replied. "Your brother made a great sacrifice so that we could return with information vital to Earth's survival."

Derek stared open-mouthed at the captain, a look of grief stricken horror settling over his face. Suddenly, Wildstar exploded, "You left him behind!"

"No, Wildstar. He did it of his own accord. I tried to convince him to come with us, but he wouldn't have it. He fought a delaying action so that this ship, heavily damaged as she was, could make it out of Pluto-space."

Wildstar was about to reply when suddenly the XO stepped in.

"Cadets, please come with me." Hamilton said and motioned for the young men to follow him out of the hangar.

Mark clapped Derek on the shoulder, "Come on, Wildstar." Derek didn't follow. "Come on." Mark repeated.

This time, Derek, in shock, followed silently.

* * *

><p>"<em>Lord… show me what to do…"<em> Avatar surveyed the wreckage that Wildstar and Venture had hauled aboard. _"I don't know how to help him, but I _do_ know the pain he suffers…"_ immediately, thoughts of his son Adam, Alex's navigator, flooded into his mind, _"Perhaps once we return to Earth… Maybe then he will understand why we couldn't go back."_

The Captain winced as a twinge of pain chided him for moving too quickly around the ship's cargo hold.

Avatar ran his gloved hand over the exterior of the escape pod, admiring its fine craftsmanship. _"Like nothing we could have made."_ He thought.

Then he stepped over to the preservation capsule that the pilot's body had been transported in.

The lid was a bit frosted over and Avatar had to clear the condensation off the glass cover in order to get a glimpse of the pilot.

When he saw her face, he stopped and stared. Even in death she was the very image of beauty. The cadets' report hadn't been an exaggeration after all. She looked as though she could have been the queen of some distant land from a storybook world.

"_If only she were still alive…"_ the Captain sighed heavily, _"If only…"_

Out of the corner of his eye, Avatar caught thought he saw something glowing. He looked to see the source of the strange light and was surprised to see the mystery object of which the cadets had spoken in their report.

"Odd." The Captain muttered to himself, then thought, _"Perhaps a power source of some kind?"_

He took one cautious step at a time, inching his way towards the object. _"The pilot had it with her; perhaps it was meant to generate some sort of shield to break her fall."_

He came to within a few feet of the object and stopped, a strange feeling suddenly coming over him. Anxiety? He was too old to be anxious.

According to the report at least one of the cadets had touched the object and suffered no ill effects.

He took a few more steps towards the alien artifact and ever so slowly reached out towards it.

His hand descended towards the object but stopped just before he touched it.

He expected to feel some sort of warmth emanating from it.

Perhaps his gloves were too thick.

He withdrew his hand and took off his captain's glove, then reached out again towards the glowing thing.

Nothing happened. Until he touched the object.

The image of a woman suddenly appeared before his eyes, a woman who looked much like the pilot resting in the capsule several feet away. Then, she began to speak.

"_I am Starsha of planet Iscandar."_

* * *

><p>"A message you say?" Commander Singleton asked, eyebrows raised in curiosity, "What was it?"<p>

"An offer of help." Avatar replied. The light from his small communication screen casting stark shadows through his dark quarters.

"Help? From who?"

"Iscandar." said the Captain.

"Iscandar? What is it? A town; a country; an organization –"

"Another planet, Commander."

There was a long pause and Avatar thought the Commander might not reply, but just when the Captain was about to continue speaking the other man finally spoke.

"So it's not just us and Gamilon anymore then..."

"No, Thaddeus. It's not."

"It was hard enough when we discovered that we weren't alone in the universe. One alien culture was enough, but now a second one..." The Commander's face fell. "The people pf Earth have had enough to think about for the past decade without adding something else now."

"I know, Commander." the Captain replied, "But this time they offer us hope, and not death."

"Yes... this is true..." Singleton replied, then a thought occurred to him, "As long as this isn't a trap."

Avatar's eyes dropped to the floor, "It would have to be quite a plot, Commander... The pilot who delivered the message – the pilot whose body we now carry with us – was the sister of the woman who sent us this message. She died to give us this hope."

Commander Singleton stood dumbfounded. "Her sister...? Who is this woman who sent us this message?"

"Her name is 'Starsha,' '_Queen_ Starsha of Iscandar.'"

"That would make this sister a princess. Why send a princess to do what anyone could have? Something doesn't seem right."

"Perhaps." the Captain replied, "But would it not be better to trust in a slim hope than to give up and sentence the world to death and ruin? Would it not be better to trust in the promise of God Himself, the promise that –"

"I don't need to hear about your religion, Abraham." Singleton interrupted, "But I do agree that it would be better to bet on something than nothing. As soon as you get here, bring that message to us here and EDF headquarters. We'll have our science team analyze it for any further clues as to what's going on here."

"In the mean time, I think it would be wise to step up the pace on the... _Yamato Plan_." Avatar replied slowly.

"But if we pursue this... 'promise' from who knows where, we won't need it."

"Not for its original purpose, no." the Captain admitted, "But there was something else in this message that will change our perspective of space travel completely."

"Very well. My people will look into it." Singleton nodded, "But until then, do not reveal the contents of that message to anyone else."

"Understood, Commander."

With that, the transmission ended.

* * *

><p>Venture and Wildstar lay in their respective bunks in their dark quarters. It was night-time in the ship's day-cycle, so they were trying to get some sleep before arriving back planet-side.<p>

"What a day, huh?" Mark tried to coax an answer – or words of any kind out of Derek. He waited for the response from the bunk above him. Derek didn't say anything, so Mark tried again, "I wonder what that thing was that the pilot was holding on to."

Again there was no response.

"Glad to be off Mars though. That had to be the most boring assignment I've ever been given." Mark stared up at the underside of his friend's bunk.

Silence was his reward.

"Well, I'm going to sleep now." Mark said into the silence. "Wake me up when we get there."

Finally a low grunt came from the top bunk.

"_Well... at least he's still alive up there."_ Mark thought, _"Maybe some time to think will do him some good,"_ then he rolled over and went to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<br>Hello readers, due to some life schedule changes, story updates will be coming on Mondays/Tuesdays now instead of Sundays/Mondays. Thanks for reading and don't forget to check my profile if you're ever wondering when the next update is coming or if there have been any additions to future story plans.**


	6. Episode 3: A Message of Hope

**Episode 3: A Message of Hope**

"_The EDF, huh?" an eighteen year-old Alex Wildstar asked his younger brother, "What made you decide that?"_

"'_Cus that's what you're doing." Ten year-old Derek replied, "I wanna be a space pilot, just like you." The boy grinned up at his older brother._

"_Well, the fighters we're using right now are pretty rough – only in the late experimental stages, Derek." The young man said, "We're not even sure that they'll hold up in full vacuum."_

"_Ah, they will." Derek dismissed, "Those crazy aliens won't know what hit 'em when you take 'em out."_

_Alex let a sad smile cross his face, "I wish we didn't have to think about that at all, little brother… I'd rather have never entered the cockpit of one of those fighters than to have to fight these… 'Gamilons' like we are now."_

_Derek look at his brother, a bit of astonishment on his face, "You'd give up flying?"_

"_Yeah, I would." Alex replied, "If it meant no more bombings; I'd give up more than _that_ if it came to it."_

The memory of his brother's words echoed in Derek's mind as he stepped through the doors of Central Hospital in Tokyo.

The medical center was stationed underground, just like everything else these days, right next to EDF headquarters. The large white building stood tall, towering over the military installation.

Derek's boots clicked on the hard floor, accompanied by Mark's footsteps. Wildstar stared down at the freshly-shined white and red boots as he took first one step and then another on his and Mark's trip up to see the resident physician after their time off-world.

Rumor was that Central had just gotten a new physician, some old guy who'd been a ship's doctor for long than either Derek or Mark had been alive. From everything he'd heard the guy sounded like a whack-job: talked to himself incessantly, drank pretty heavily while he was off-duty – although he had been known to have a few before a major surgery too – dabbled in robotics, and was good pals with his cat. Other than that, the cadets didn't really know much about him.

"Out of the way! Both of you!" the exclamation startled both young men and they whirled around to see who was barreling down the hallway towards them.

A short, bald man with glasses and a whiny voice was racing towards them at top speed, his short legs a blur as he ran.

"Move!" He shouted again.

Derek and Mark instantly parted and the man whooshed through the gap and disappeared through a door a dozen feet ahead of them.

"Doctor! Wait!" another voice – this one sounding computerized – yelled after the short man. Wildstar and Venture looked back the way the man had come and, to their astonishment, a robot strongly resembling a bright red barrel with feet and arms. His domed head swiveled this way and that, trying to figure out which door the stranger had skirted through.

Derek and Mark looked on confused as the doctor's head peeked out the door he had just entered and he shouted back at the robot. "IQ-9, I told you to get me some soap!"

"I did!" the robot warbled back loudly as he careened towards the doctor.

"Then get in here! Who knows what's hiding in that capsule?"

The robot squeezed through the space between the young men without acknowledging them.

"I didn't see anything hiding in it, doctor." The robot replied.

"Stop being so literal, you walking tin can." Said the doctor, giving the robot a small scowl. "I thought I programmed you better than that."

"Abstract thought is not quantitative, doctor." Replied the machine.

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that." The little man looked like he had truly never thought of what his – apparent – creation had just said.

Derek and Mark started to walk on past the strange duo, but were stopped when they suddenly heard a third voice coming from behind them.

"Doctor Sane, the body is clean." A woman called to the short man.

At the sound of her voice both cadets' heads turned to see the source of the gentle sound that had just graced their ears.

Both men's eyes widened when they saw her.

"Wildstar…" Venture whispered to Derek.

"Yeah… I know…" Derek replied in kind, "She looks just like…"

"That pilot from the ship." Mark finished the sentence quietly.

The two looked at each other before looking back at the woman. Judging by her apparel, she was a nurse here at Central. Her knee-length white dress and high white boots both bore the hospital's red insignia and the tablet she carried was marked too.

The woman didn't seem the notice the staring men as she streaked past them and joined the robot.

Derek and Mark didn't make another move to leave the scene.

"What're you two staring at?" the doctor's shrill question finally pried the cadets' eyes away from the nurse's all-too-familiar face.

"Uh… Sorry." Derek muttered, making a move to scratch his head and discretely pretending not to have noticed the woman.

Mark moved to cover their pause, "Are you talking about the body of the woman on the ship that crashed on Mars?"

"This is correct." The response came from the robot – "IQ-9" the doctor had called it.

"We're the ones who found her." Venture put in.

"Very good. Now go on to wherever you were headed in the first place." The doctor tried to shoo the men.

"But –" Derek tried to protest and Mark couldn't help but be just the tiniest bit happy that his friend was actually speaking again for now.

"Go!" the doctor ordered, stubby finger pointing down the hallway.

"I think my friend wanted to ask about your… companion." Mark offered, buying them a little more time.

"This is IQ-9. He's part of the newest line of artificially intelligent machines from Sandor Aerospace.*" replied the doctor.

"Most robots in hospitals are only a five series, but I am a nine." The machine put in, seeming to have grasped the concept of self-promotion quite easily.

"Uh…" Mark felt awkward, not quite knowing how to respond to the doctor's answer.

"Doctor Sane, I'm taking the samples up to the lab." The nurse said in the interim silence.

"Thank you." The doctor replied, just before the young woman who Derek and Mark had been so fascinated by left.

Mark could almost hear Derek's disappointed sigh.

"I think he meant her." Mark inclined his head towards the departing nurse.

"Oh!" Doctor Sane said, then laughed, "That's Nova Forrester – best nurse I've got." He chuckled again. "Since you're the two who came back from Mars, she'll be assisting me with your physicals once we get the alien pilot's lab work done."

The cadets groaned.

* * *

><p>"What a day, huh?" Venture asked as he and Wildstar sat in one of Central's lobbies, staring at the artificial plants that littered the room. "Why do you think they're taking so long to let us leave?"<p>

Derek shrugged, seeming to have sunk back in his wordless slump.

"I mean, it's not like we could have caught anything from that pilot." Venture said, more to reassure himself than Wildstar, "Right?"

Derek shrugged again.

Mark changed the subject, hoping it would help, "She's beautiful."

After a moment of continued silence, Wildstar finally replied in a strange tone, "Yeah… she is…"

Then Mark realized that his friend wasn't just grieving over his lost brother, he was brooding over that nurse.

"We don't know where we're going to be tomorrow, you know." Said Mark.

"Yeah…" Derek said again. "I know…"

"You should talk to her."

"Yeah…"

Mark was about to make a comment about Derek's vocabulary, but was interrupted by none other than the red tin can himself.

"The body and capsule from Mars have been analyzed." The robot announced upon his entrance.

"What about our physicals?" Mark interjected.

"You're both fine." Doctor Sane said, suddenly appearing behind the robot. "Just thought you would like to know since you helped ferry them here."

"Isn't that classified information?" Mark asked.

"Did I tell you anything specific? No! " Doctor Sane's voice screeched a bit, "Trust me, I know what's classified and what's not."

"Thanks for the information." Mark replied, "Do we have any new orders?"

"Return to EDF headquarters. Commander Singleton wants to see you both." Sane replied.

"Thanks, Doc." Derek finally said, then stood with Mark to leave, but just before he got out the lobby door he turned around and asked, "That nurse of yours wouldn't happen to be coming too, would she?"

* * *

><p>Commander Singleton's hand tapped the scarlet capsule that the Mars team had brought back. Just as when Captain Avatar had touched it, the image of the stranger appeared and began to speak, albeit in a different language, but the capsule seemed to be equipped with some sort of translation matrix, and, amazingly, it worked decently well.<p>

"_I am Starsha of planet Iscandar." _the woman paused to take a breath before continuing in her light, melodic voice, _"When… and if my sister, Astra, arrives safely with this message to –" _here the recording stopped for an instant while the matrix seemed to have to work to find the right words, but it finally continued, though a bit awkwardly, _"planet Earth, come to Iscandar. You have only one year left before the total extinction of all life on," _the matrix searched for the right proper noun again. Obviously the people on Iscandar had another name for humanity's home, _"Earth. I have sent you the plans for a –" _the recording ground to a complete halt for several seconds and then continued in the woman's own language for several words before the computer finally gave a very rough name that didn't make complete sense, but that would have to work for the mean time,_ "Wave Motion Engine so that you can make the long journey to Iscandar. When you get here, we will give you the," _another long pause, but this time, the computer finally spit out something that made less sense than its name for the engine plans,_ "Healing from the Stars. This will remove the radioactivity from Earth and is the only thing that can save you. I wish we could get the Cosmo DNA to you ourselves, but we cannot. Then follow the plans for the Wave Motion Engine. It will get you to Iscandar. We are located a hundred and forty-eight thousand light-years beyond the galactic system. You must reach Iscandar in time to save Earth. May God go with you. I am Starsha, of planet Iscandar."_

At the woman's last words, Captain Avatar allowed himself a brief smile and the Commander gave a discrete frown, muttering something under his breath.

"'Healing from the Stars'?" Singleton asked, "Sounds like some sort of cosmological cure-all."

"It seems a very rough translation." Avatar agreed, and then said "You have a better suggestion?"

"Well, in light of the length of the computer's translation, I think something like 'Cosmo DNA' has a more Earth-like quality to it. Not to mention it's easier to remember." Singleton replied.

"'Cosmo DNA' it shall be then." Avatar nodded, then after a moment of silence he said, "It's time to gather them… with some adjustments to the crew…"

The Commander nodded soberly, "Indeed…" he looked over at the Captain, "I'm sorry, my friend… I know Alex Wildstar and your son were on that roster… as well as a few others from the fleet… and other battles."

Avatar nodded, "But even with the… losses… I believe I have finally found the last of my crew, though it may prove to be a rough transition for them."

Singleton nodded, "I understand completely."

* * *

><p>"Why do we keep getting sent here and there now that we're back? It's like we're a couple of ping-pong balls stuck in a box." Mark commented as he and Derek walked from Central Hospital to the EDF's main building.<p>

"Nobody else to do it to?" Derek commented.

"Yeah, maybe." Mark replied, feeling a little uneasy for a reason he just couldn't pin down. It felt like something was going on, and that made him nervous.

They walked in the door and were immediately ushered up to Commander Singleton's office, which of course only served to heighten Mark's anxiety.

"Welcome cadets Wildstar and Venture." The EDF chief greeted the young men.

Derek and Mark saluted the older man.

"Thank you for your service at the Mars observation post." The Commander said, "Your attention to your environment made it possible for us to recover information that may prove vital to saving Earth herself from death. On behalf of the people all over the Earth, I thank you again."

Derek and Mark nodded, "Thank you, Commander." They both replied.

"Now, your next task is to meet the air car that's waiting for you just outside the building." Commander Singleton looked from one young man to the other, "Enjoy the ride, gentlemen."

With that, the two were dismissed.

Once they left the Commander's office, Mark shook his head. Once again, they were off to yet another location for an undisclosed reason.

"_Ah well," _he thought, _"at least we don't have to fly there."_

The two quickly made their way back down to the ground floor and out to the waiting air car. They stepped into the vehicle and both immediately noticed that the driver's seat was already occupied by a taxi-bot.

"_Not driving either."_ Mark added to his earlier thought.

The first question out of Derek's mouth as soon as they were seated and the doors had shut was, "Where are we going?"

The robot didn't respond.

"Must not be the talkative type." Mark quipped to his friend.

"Yeah, really." Derek rolled his eyes. "I think the higher-ups are using us as some perverse form of entertainment. 'Let's see how many places we can send them in two days.'" Derek said in his best General Stone voice once again.

Once Mark stopped laughing he asked, "Will you never stop doing that?"

"No." Derek replied simply. "He's too much of a drama queen not to imitate."

"I'm sure he would love your description of him."

"Psht!" Derek laughed, seeming to have finally been kicked out of his wordless stupor now that he had seen a pretty girl and been thanked by the head of Earth's defenses. "If he ever found out he'd have me drawn and quartered." He shook his head, "_No_ sense of humor at all, that man."

"You said it." Mark agreed.

Suddenly the cab fell quiet, the only sounds were the faint whir of the car's engine, the whisper of the bot's motors, and the two men's breathing.

Mark looked out the car window and suddenly realized something, "I don't recognize this part of the city."

"Me either." Derek agreed, looking all around them, trying to figure out where they were being taken.

The air car came to a stop at the base of a set of stairs.

Here, the doors opened and Mark and Derek were wordlessly encouraged by the robotic driver to get out. They hesitantly obeyed and found themselves standing at the base of a set of stairs they had never seen before. At the top of those stairs was what looked like an elevator. A tall shaft ran from the ground up through the ceiling, then disappearing into the earth above.

"_What's up there?"_ Mark wondered.

"Please enter the elevator." A computer voice invited the cadets.

Derek shrugged, "Guess we'd better go."

The two quickly entered the elevator and waited for it to engage.

Ten seconds later it started up. The wait made Mark all the more anxious. Derek gave no signs of even caring, or maybe he was just better at hiding it than Mark.

The ride seemed to go on and on until finally the elevator stopped.

The doors opened and both young men nearly fell over in shock at what they saw.

"What… _is_ this…?" Mark asked as he looked around the room set before him.

"Looks like a bridge." Derek answered.

"I can see that, but how is that possible? EDF isn't building any more ships. We don't have the resources or the time." He looked over at Derek, "Right?"

"That's what they said anyway." Derek replied, "Maybe this is _why_ they didn't have any more resources."

Mark nodded, "Yeah, probably." He craned his neck to see the other side of the bridge.

"You may step out of the elevator, gentlemen." A familiar voice bid them enter.

"Captain Avatar?" Derek asked, both surprised and dismayed to see the veteran captain. "Why are we here? _Where_ is here?" a tinge of anger crept into the young man's tone as he spoke to the captain.

"You are here because you have chosen to help save this world from destruction. You have been called here to change the world for the better, to answer the call of a woman who, before yesterday, none of us knew about from a planet we could have never dreamed of."

The confused look on Mark's and Derek's faces made the captain smile.

"That object you brought back – the scarlet and blue crystal capsule – it was a message." The captain explained.

"Message…?" Mark asked, not believing what he had just heard.

"Yes, and one unlike any other we have ever received. It was a promise of help from a woman named, 'Queen Starsha' from a planet called 'Iscandar.'" Avatar continued, "But… this world is a hundred and forty-eight thousand light years away."

Mark's face fell, _"We can't go that far… even if Earth wasn't being bombarded on a daily basis…"_

"I know what you're thinking." The captain interrupted Venture's despairing thoughts. "You think we can't possibly make that kind of journey. We have no way to do it, and even if we did, we have no crew to take us there." Avatar smiled, "Well, gentlemen, I am here to tell you that we _can_ make that journey, and we _will_."

"Surely not, Captain," Derek sneered, "After all… the rest of our ships were destroyed at Pluto."

Despite the cadet's attitude, Captain Avatar's face lightened even more as he replied, "Not all of them, Wildstar. Not all of them."

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 3 Notes:<strong>  
>* Sandor Aerospace – credit for this name goes to the makers of the <em>Yamato<em> audio drama, "Sea of Stars"


	7. Episode 4: One Last Battleship

**Episode 4: One Last Battleship**

"Then show me _one_! Just one!" Wildstar raised a single accusing finger, "Flagship 227 is intact, but might as well be destroyed. Where is this mighty ship that will somehow 'carry us to glory and deliverance'? " the cadet mocked as Mark looked on speechless.

Venture had to fight to keep his jaw from hanging open, "Wildstar –" he tried to stop his friend from saying anything more, but Derek wouldn't have it.

"No! I'm sick of this!" Derek snapped at Mark. "He's a captain – he should be responsible for what he does!" Wildstar bellowed, eyes burning with unspent rage, fists now curled into angry, brown-gloved balls.

"Captain, I'm sorry..." Venture offered to Avatar.

The old captain simply raised a patient hand, "There is no need for that, Venture." replied Avatar. "There is something –"

He was suddenly cut off by the blaring of emergency alarms.

"_Enemy planes sighted near the sunken Yamato. Request emergency response team to investigate." _the voice permeated the strange bridge, startling Venture and propelling Wildstar back into some semblance of stability.

"_All response teams are currently occupied."_ a second tense voice replied to the first.

"_I repeat this is an _emergency_ of the utmost importance!"_ the first voice responded.

"Sending emergency response team now." Captain Avatar's voice suddenly replied, his message carrying to whoever had first sent the request in the first place.

"What?" Wildstar asked, "but you don't have –"

"Yes, I do." Avatar countered, "I'm looking right at them." he stared at the two cadets intently. "There is a two-man fighter waiting for you in a hangar at the bottom of the elevator you took to get up here.

When neither young man moved to leave the captain added, "Go on. They'll be almost over the wreck soon."

"Y-yes, Sir." Venture was the first to salute and dash out. Wildstar half-heartedly responded in kind and disappeared after his friend.

* * *

><p>"What's so important about an old battleship anyway?" Derek asked as he and Mark flew over the deep orange and red clay and sand that now made up the floor of what was once the Pacific Ocean.<p>

"No idea." Mark replied, "but the enemy has some reason for being out here. Might as well shoot them down while they're on our turf."

"Yeah. Sounds like a good idea to me," Wildstar replied, sounding the most enthusiastic he'd been about anything all day – except for meeting that nurse at Central.

"Target acquired," Mark announced a little shakily – as usual.

"Venture, don't chicken out." Wildstar ordered, seeing two Gamilon scout planes appear, first on his radar, then on his target scope, "Just because you weren't in the combat division –"

"Just shut up and shoot, Wildstar." said Mark.

Derek concentrated on the alien planes, starting to feel just like he usually did when he was in charge of bringing down the enemy – in control.

"_Just a little more..."_ he silently urged the closest of the two as he just missed getting a target lock on it. _"Half a second and I'll have you, you little –"_

Red lights everywhere whooped and screeched all around the cockpit as a hundred LEDs went crazy, like a swarm of angry fireflies. The fighter rocked with a small explosion.

"Venture!" Derek screeched over the alarms. "How could you let them hit us?"

"We're not hit, Wildstar," Venture bellowed back, "The engine overheated."

"Worthless piece a' trash!" Wildstar exclaimed and kicked the nearest wall, instantly regretting it as pain shot through his foot and he resorted to calling the old plane more disreputable names.

"They're getting away!" Wildstar whined as Venture was forced the land the ship the best he could under the circumstances.

"At least they're not sticking around to _kill _us." Venture pointed out, "Now let's get out of this thing before anything else blows. Your suit in airtight, right?"

"Yeah..." Derek replied grudgingly as he unbuckled his safety harness.

Venture fiddled with the radio – one of the few things in the plane that wasn't hopelessly outdated – and sent out a distress call, "Enemy planes have left the area, but our ship is damaged. Repeat, our ship is damaged. We can't make it back to base. Requesting pickup."

Within a few seconds he had an answer, "Roger that, sending a team to your coordinates now."

"Thank you." Venture ended the conversation.

Both cadets climbed out of the plane, whose landing had been partially cushioned by a sand dune.

"Lovely spot you picked, Venture." Wildstar quipped as he trudged up the dune, head down, Venture a good ways ahead of him, very near the top of the dune's crest.

Mark didn't respond.

"I'm surprised that plane even took off." Derek continued, "With the state it was in..." Wildstar finally caught up to Venture and looked up.

"What is the...? Is that what I think it is?" Wildstar breathed as he stared at the sight laid out before his wondering eyes.

"Yeah... I think so." Venture finally replied. "That's the old _Yamato_ herself."

"It's... more stately than I thought it would be after so many years buried here on the ocean floor." Derek admitted, "But... it's still a wreck... Why are the Gamilon's so interested... in... it –" Derek's face was instantly facing Venture, "Mark, we've gotta get back to that bridge."

"Uh, Derek, our ride's not here yet."

* * *

><p>"Wildstar, slow down!" Mark called after Derek as he exited the rescue vehicle not a minute after Wildstar.<p>

"I'm not stopping until I know what that old buzzard is up to." Derek yelled back, "Now hurry up before I leave you to find your own ride!"

Mark broke into a run and just managed to squeeze into the air car that was, again, mysteriously waiting for them.

"Hey, Tinny" Wildstar greeted the robot who had ferried them everywhere today.

The robot, as usual, did not respond.

Derek kicked back in his seat and waited as the car took them back to that same fateful elevator they had traversed twice thus far today and were about to navigate a third time.

* * *

><p>The elevator door whisked open to reveal the anonymous bridge again.<p>

Derek immediately marched out of the elevator and into the vast room shouting, "Stop hiding whatever it is you're hiding!"

Mark ran after his friend and managed to catch him before he actually got to the old captain who had his back to Derek and was staring at no-one-knew-what somewhere towards the front of the room.

"You've already seen it, Wildstar." Avatar replied matter-of-factly.

"All I know is that there's something strange going on with that twisted hulk out in the middle of nowhere and I wanna know _what_!" Derek exclaimed.

The old captain sighed and turned to face the angry young man, "Perhaps I haven't been clear enough. So let me begin again, Wildstar."

Mark let out a sigh of relief, seeing that the captain wasn't letting the emotion of the past cloud him at this crucial point, like Wildstar was.

"Earth was dying; we had no more resources to pull from, so we had to take from what we already had. That included all existing EDF planes, vehicles, and ships... both space-worthy... and seaworthy..."

"The EDF doesn't have any sailing ships," Derek cut in, a sarcastic look in his eyes. "There isn't any water to sail them in."

"They didn't have any." the Captain agreed, ignoring the snarky comment, "Until about five years ago when it was decided by the EDF high council that something had to be done – humanity had to survive at all costs. So they slowly siphoned off a little bit here and there, taking any extra they could find anywhere, knowing that if their efforts failed, we would all be doomed – or so they imagined."

The captain slowly approached what looked like a console jutting up out of the floor. He turned to face the two young men, leaning on the console a bit as he did so. "Many countries of the world were enlisted in this effort, one last push to save us all from the enemies that had so suddenly appeared from space. And so, they built it – Earth's largest space battleship, using the most accessible shell they could to build their ship. The –"

"The _Yamato_ wreck..." Mark suddenly blurted, so surprised he couldn't contain himself.

"Correct, Venture." Avatar nodded, hiding a smile. "And you are standing on _her_ bridge." the Captain looked at Wildstar, "_This_ is the one battleship Earth has to give, Wildstar."

Derek's face morphed into an expression of shock and disbelief, which was compounded when all the lights on the bridge were at once lit and the enormous video screen covering a generous portion of the front bridge wall was turned on and an image of Earth's space battleship, _Yamato _appeared there.

"How...?" Mark began, blinked twice, and started again, "How is this possible, Captain Avatar?"

"It isn't, Venture." the captain replied, "My faith tells me that God only gives us what we can handle, and He helps us carry what we can't carry on our own. Right when the EDF had come to the end of their hope and had no more knowledge of how to finally finish this ship, your report came from Mars. The capsule you brought back didn't just include that message. It gave us detailed plans for an engine design, one that we can adapt to use as a prime weapon... which I pray we never have to use."

"It's not _finished_?" Wildstar blurted, snapping out of his stupor.

"Not completely." Avatar replied, "But it will be in two weeks."

"Do we _have_ two weeks?" Wildstar countered.

"Perhaps not." the Captain replied, "If we must, we will take off before then, but _only_ as a last resort."

"Oh good. Just so we're clear." Wildstar replied, folding his arms.

"Don't think he can pull it off?" a whiny voice emanated from over behind the captain's chair, positioned near the elevator the two young men had disembarked from mere minutes before.

No one answered the strangely familiar voice for a long moment.

Suddenly, out popped the short man they had run into at Central, Dr. Sado Sane.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Derek blurted upon seeing the man.

"Same thing I'm doing here." A woman's soft voice met their ears and the nurse who Sane had called "Nova Forrester" stepped out from the same place the doctor had been hiding.

This time though, instead of her plain nurse's uniform, the young woman wore something more befitting of the EDF, a black and gold jacket over a gold, collared shirt and calf-length skirt of like coloring. Her hands were in her jacket pockets and she smiled as she looked at the two young men.

"Uh…" Derek failed to start the sentence he had just prepared to say before Nova appeared.

"I'm here too!" a mechanized voice announced, sending Derek into more of a puzzled state than before as none other than IQ-9 rolled out to join the group.

"Anyone else who's here, but not on the bridge?" Wildstar asked, bewildered.

"Just me, laddie." A voice boomed from the ship radio.

"Orion, my engineer on every ship I've ever commanded." Avatar supplied. "He's doing some work down in the engine room."

"Figured that out already." Wildstar replied under his breath, then added so that all could hear him, "So what is this? Some group that's gonna save the world?"

"You're almost right." Avatar replied. "These three," he gestured to Sane, Forrester, and IQ, "are only a small sampling of the full crew of this ship."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Derek stopped the captain, "'Crew'? You can't be serious about this? What are you even _doing_ with this ship anyway?"

"We, Derek Wildstar, are taking her to Iscandar and coming back home again with the one thing in God's great Universe that can heal this world of the harm that has been done to her these past nine years." The Captain stated, never batting an eye at the unbelievable words that were coming out of his mouth.

"'We' aren't going anywhere." Wildstar stated, then turned to leave, "_'You'_ can go do this by yourselves – without me. I'm no fool."

"Wildstar." The Captain's voice stopped Derek in his tracks. "You are to be Gunnery Chief. It was… the position your brother Alex would have held had he been here…"

Derek didn't turn around to face the group he knew was staring at him, but neither did he continue walking. Instead, he stayed rooted to ground, unable to do anything.

The Captain, seeing the young man's struggle turned the group's attention to someone else by continuing, "And you, Mark Venture, are to be my navigator, the position my son Adam would have held had he not gone down with his captain, Alex, and his ship, _Yukikaze_."

Mark was speechless, "Captain, I…It's an honor, Sir…"

"Well, that accounts for one of you." Avatar nodded in gratitude to Venture who saluted the veteran. "Wildstar?" he again looked at the torn young man whose back was still turned to him, "Do you have an answer for me?"

Ever so slowly Derek turned to face the Captain, but this time his head was bowed in a surprising show of respect to the man he clearly despised, and his fist raised to his heart in salute, "I am with you, Captain Avatar." He finally looked up at the old man, "For Alex."

Avatar nodded, "Understood."

* * *

><p>The next several days were spent in a flurry of activity as Derek and Mark saw portions of the EDF building they had never known existed before.<p>

Venture received an extensive course on the new engine – much of which he didn't understand, but was fascinated by nonetheless.

Wildstar was shown how to use the rebuilt ship's guns – properly – as they were experimental and could be overloaded if not used with care.

The launch date was set for some time in November, a mere few weeks away, but Derek was sure they wouldn't reach that date.

As the days went by one by one Wildstar became more and more nervous about the upcoming launch, so much so that he forcibly dragged Venture back to the ship one night and boarded her.

* * *

><p>"Wildstar!" Venture called in a harsh whisper, "We can't be here, they'll find us – shoot us – or something else just as bad. Let's get out of here."<p>

"No." Derek replied stubbornly, facing the front row of viewports, obstructed as they were by a thick, outside layer of ocean sediment and radioactive waste, "Something's out there, Mark; I can feel it."

"The only thing you're feeling is recycled air." Venture replied, "Now get back here and we'll –"

"Evening, gentlemen."

Mark froze, wide-eyed when he heard the voice of Captain Avatar coming from somewhere on the dark bridge.

"I felt it too, Wildstar." The old captain continued, ignoring the thick cloud of fear that seemed to suddenly envelope the two cadets.

"It's the enemy." Derek continued, not even turning to salute, so attuned was he to what he thought he perceived.

"They aren't on our radar yet." The Captain replied, "What makes you think it's them?"

"I just know, Captain." Wildstar replied, that same feeling of dread now rising up into an alarm.

* * *

><p>"Colonel," the crewman addressed his superior officer who sat looking at that same old hologram again, the one of his daughter who had been mysteriously kidnapped not long before he'd been assigned to this cursedly far-away post. "Colonel Gantz, the reconnaissance team has returned with the information we were looking for."<p>

The Colonel switched off the device and pocketed it, then stood. "The first descent progress we've made since coming to this backwater place," he spat, bitter thoughts of the past he'd been forced to relinquish swirling through his mind. "If it hadn't been for that cursed Usurper, De –"

"Colonel!" the crewman interrupted him, eyes wide, "The penalty for speaking the traitor's name!"

"Yes, yes, but it isn't anything more than what he has already done to me. We are fortunately that that idiot does not govern us any longer as it is _him_ we have to thank for this predicament in the first place." Gantz said bitterly.

"Yes, Colonel, this is true."

"Show me the information." Gantz bid the man.

"Here, Sir." He brought up the files for the Colonel to pick through.

"Ah, geographical data on the site in question, very good. We can use this." Gantz began watching a video feed from one of the scout ships and noticed something, "What is that?" he pointed to the dot in the sky that seemed to move, then zoomed in on the thing. "Is that supposed to be some sort of aircraft?" he asked, clearly appalled by the rudimentary appearance, "It is so… puny."

"Yes, Colonel, we know. The scouts did not even bother to engage it. If you watch further, you will see that its own systems fail not long after they started back."

"Their air-worthy craft are worse than their space-worthy ones." Gantz noted. "At least the fleet they sent to our base didn't explode of its own free will. How are they even fighting back at all?"

"We don't know, Sir. But if you look at this set of files you will see the real problem." The crewman opened another virtual information pocket that contained a form of sonar readings for the entire sunken area on the western portion of the planet in question.

"Do we have a visualized version of this?" Gantz asked, his eyes wide.

"Here, Sir," the crewman opened the illustration for the Colonel.

"What is it?" Gantz asked upon seeing the rendering, "It has some features similar to our warships, but that is where the comparison ends. What it really looks like is an enormous boat."

"It's more than that, Sir." The crewman brought up another file set, "We've also been recording and logging their audio transmissions. The translation matrix we received not long ago finally allowed us to decrypt them enough to where we know one thing for certain. Erats* has one last Oniyyah,* and she will not give up until it is turned into slag."

"Slag it then." Gantz ordered, "And be quick about it."

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 4 Notes:<strong>  
>* Erats – Earth<br>* Oniyyah – ship, warship


	8. Episode 5: Baptism of Fire

**Episode 5: Baptism of Fire**

Wildstar stood stock still on the dark, silent bridge of the old warship. The only sounds were the breathing of the captain, Venture, and Wildstar, along with the usual computer hum of the ship's systems, now on and functioning at their base level in preparation for the looming launch date.

Derek took a deep breath and held it, straining his ears to catch even the barest hint of something he knew full well he wouldn't be able to hear – the coming of the enemy.

Captain Avatar sat perched in his captain's chair, also listening, waiting.

Venture could barely see the outline of either man in the low glow of the ship's instruments.

To Mark, the silence was almost unbearable. That was the stark difference between him and Wildstar, Derek had little fear of the unknown. After all, he'd faced uncertainty his entire life. What was one more day of not knowing where he'd be tomorrow? Mark, on the other hand was uncomfortable not knowing exactly where he would be a week from now, much less tomorrow. This unexpected jaunt out to the strange ship was rather unnerving for the usually, level-headed young man.

To cope, he simply stood still, concentrating on what he would do if the enemy really was out there and suddenly appeared. If they weren't there, he would drag Derek back to the barracks and try to get some sleep.

The bridge remained deathly silent.

"It's already been too many days since I told you to destroy that ship." Colonel Gantz fumed at the man who had shown him the Eratites' buried construct. "Why isn't it scrap yet?"

"Sir, we had… setbacks… No one knows why. It's almost like someone knew we were planning on making a run on the site and saw to it that we couldn't until now."

"Hmm, a saboteur?" Gantz asked, eyebrow raised, and the man momentarily thought he might be off the hook, then Gantz exploded, "You expect me to believe that? You're all lazy and incompetent! That's the _real_ reason the Eratite ship isn't destroyed yet. Just go and get rid of it. You may even enlist _Din_* and her sister-ships, just get this done!"

"Yes, sir…" the man saluted the Colonel and scurried away to do his superior's bidding.

Once the man was gone, Gantz sat down heavily in his chair and sighed, _"Hilde…"_ he thought, the image of his daughter appearing in his mind, unbidden, _"If only I had known… I would have hidden you away from them; they never would have found you, and I wouldn't have to be out in his awful, lonely galaxy…"_

The day his daughter Hilde had been abducted by Deun the Usurper – the elder brother of Gamilon's current ruler, Leader Desslok – he had been sent out here to help oversee this endeavor. General Dommel Lysis, head of the Gamilon Royal Navy had seen to it that the troops were battle-ready and that Gantz had received the resources and training he needed to lead this group. But no matter what he did, Gantz always ended up thinking about getting his daughter back – having her safe again.

Right now no one knew where Hilde was. Even after Leader Desslok had deposed his wayward brother there had been no information released that might lead them to Hilde's location. It was all beginning to seem like a sick joke to Gantz. How could this have happened? How could it _still_ be happening?

Every day Gantz waited for news that they had found his daughter – alive and well, he hoped. But day after day, there was no word. And now there was this new mess with the Eratites and their new-found will to fight back. Why didn't they just give up? Surely it would be easier than dying slowly from the toxins that were being pumped into the planet. If they surrendered, Leader Desslok had even offered to simply make them a territory subject to Gamilon. They would still have to house the entire population of Gamilon – and the remaining two inhabitants of Iscandar – but they would at least be alive.

But they were stubborn men, these Eratites – had to learn everything the hard way it seemed.

"Colonel?" the voice of the man he had dismissed several minutes ago echoed into the room via the communications system.

"What?" Gantz growled.

"_Din_ and her fleet are ready to take off, Sir."

"Then go already! Stop making me wait for a victory that should have been won days ago."

"Yes, Colonel Gantz. We're taking off now, Sir."

With that, the base began to rumble just a bit as the ships launched and began their short journey through the solar system to Erats. They would be there in a couple of hours. Until then, there was nothing to do except wait.

* * *

><p>Alarms suddenly erupted from everywhere at once. Wildstar flew into action, taking his position at the gunnery chief's chair.<p>

Venture was unable to move for the barest second before instantly jumping to his friend's side and taking the navigator's chair – though what either of them was going to do with the ship still entrenched in crusted ocean muck, he wasn't sure.

Derek stared out the blocked bridge viewport, as though his eyes could melt away the grime that was stuck there.

"_Enemy fleet approaching your position, Captain Avatar."_ The same voice that had announced the coming of the scout planes days earlier heralded the coming of something much more deadly this time.

"Understood." Avatar replied. "Evacuate the area directly beneath us."

"_Yes, Captain."_

"Captain Avatar?!" Nova's welcome voice pierced through the shrill alarms as the nurse suddenly appeared as if from nowhere, "Is the radar operational yet?"

"Yes." Avatar replied.

Nova nodded and within a second she was behind the radar console, pushing buttons and watching screens and readouts. Finally the thing was ready to use. "Enemy ships thirty thousand mega-meters directly above us. Five battleships and… hundreds of fighters! They know we're here!"

Avatar nodded and for an instant, he said nothing, then to the surprise of all three young people he said, "Orion, take us up."

"What?!" Derek questioned, utterly taken aback. "They'll squash us like bugs if we do that!"

"Sit down, Wildstar." Avatar commanded.

Derek slowly obeyed, just now realizing that he had come all the way up out of his chair in his declaration.

"Cap'n! She's a bit rusty; this engine hasn't been tested yet!" The old Irishman's voice crackled back through the ship's comm system.

"Now is as good a time as any to test it. The more we know now, the easier it'll be for us later."

"If there _is_ a later." Wildstar mumbled under his breath.

"Gentleman," Avatar addressed Derek and Mark, "And Miss Forrester," he nodded to Nova, "This is your baptism of fire."

Nova nodded, her jaw set in a determined line, eyes fierce. Derek and Mark nodded grimly as well, ready for whatever was to come next.

Ten long seconds passed in which nothing happened, ten agonizing seconds of the enemy drawing ever closer to their defenseless position.

Then, ever so slowly, the ground began to quake beneath them. Gently at first, the violently, the ground, caked about the hulk of the long-dead ship was loosened, blown away from the site by the force of the rising ship.

Con tower, main guns, upper decks, lower decks, and finally, the lower bridge all emerged from the dirt and filth. The ship raised its proud head above the grave it had been sentenced to for too many decades and seemed to stare up at the enemy now descending upon it, as if to say, "This is _my_ home, and you'll not have it!"

"How is this even happening?" Wildstar asked as the dirt caked over the front view port began to crack and give way under the engine's shaking. Piece after piece of debris crumbled away to reveal the radiation-ridden world around them, eerily glowing in the stone cold night above the surface.

Derek had never seen Earth like this – at night, after the sun had gone for the day. No one was allowed out here at night; it was too dangerous. If a man's suit was breached, he would freeze in minutes. At least during the day the only thing an unlucky soul would get was some exposure to the radiation, which could – most of the time – be treated if they were found quickly enough, but at night… if trouble came, death followed it.

But this night was even deadlier still because now, Gamilon ships were descending on them and the Earth ship – in addition to having never been tested – was only equipped with a crew of three, maybe four, plus the old captain.

"_Not great odds."_ Thought Wildstar, _"Ah… so what?"_ he shook the thought of his impending doom out of his mind. After all, he had no family to go home to after this, so what did he have to lose?

He stole a glance over at Venture. Mark's face was white as a sheet and if the situation hadn't been so dire, Derek would have had a good laugh at Venture's expense. Not this time though – at least, not until they got out of this – preferably alive.

"Forrester, how long until the enemy is within firing range?" Avatar asked.

"Two minutes, Captain." Nova replied from her station.

"Wildstar, start charging weapons. They'll need some extra time to prepare since they've never been fired before."

"Yes, Captain." Derek acknowledged and began the preparation sequence he had been drilled over time and time again over the past many days.

"Ninety seconds." Nova announced.

"Weapons are charging." Derek announced and watched as the readout for the main guns changed, their energy levels rising closer and closer to the hundred percent mark.

"Sixty seconds." Nova said.

The energy level was barely above the thirty percent marker.

"Captain, we don't have enough time!" Wildstar suddenly blurted, "We're not going to have enough power!"

"Yes, we will." Avatar stated. "Be patient."

Derek gritted his teeth as he watched the indicator rise too slowly. Finally it reached the fifty percent mark.

"Fifteen seconds!" Nova's voice had a hint of anxiety in it now.

"Captain, we can't _do_ this!" Derek shook his head, seeing no human way possible to finish charging the ship's guns in time to meet the incoming ships – at least, not in time to save themselves from being vaporized.

"Yes. We can!" The captain repeated as he saw the hint of a wild look beginning to creep into Wildstar's eyes. "Be still! The less time you have, the more you need to use the time you have wisely. Now stop overthinking it and let's do this by the numbers."

Wildstar stared into the captain's face, speechless at the confidence the old man still exuded.

"Five! Four! Three!"

Suddenly the readout lit up brighter than anything Wildstar had ever seen before and the power level soared from half to full in an instant.

"Two!"

"_Power at one hundred percent."_ The computer announced.

Derek was too stunned to react for half a second and just nearly succeeded in picking his jaw up off of the floor in time to hear Nova finish her countdown.

"One! They're in firing range now, Captain."

"Fire at will, Wildstar." Avatar ordered the young man.

Derek took careful aim – making sure not to take too much time doing so as he had no idea what the enemy's weapons' range was.

"Firing the main guns now, Captain." Wildstar announced as he let loose a barrage of laser fire into the oncoming horde of planes.

* * *

><p>Tall and beautiful, the young queen stood watching the events as they transpired on the world her people and her sister-world's populace had come to know as "Erats."<p>

She had seen to it that the message capsule her sister had brought to Erats would be used as the core of whatever ship the Eratites would be using to make the long journey to Iscandar.

Because of this, every time the ship used the core in some fashion, she could see everything that was going on onboard ship for several minutes' time.

This was the first time it had happened and it thrilled her to be able to see the faces of some of the brave men and women who would be making the journey. They had no idea who she was, or why she wanted to help them, but they were accepting her message in good faith, and she intended to do everything in her power to help them reach Iscandar alive and well and to return home in one piece, bringing healing to Erats.

Gamilon had riddled Erats with deadly radiation, but they had also helped construct the fabled Rophi Shamayim* - a machine that had once restored Iscandar herself from the brink of annihilation. If it could do that for a planet so far gone as Iscandar had been, surely it could also restore Erats to its former glory.

"_By the will of Yahweh…"_ the young queen thought, _"I pray it will be so."_

The queen peered into the Eratite ship and watched as hundreds of Gamilon fighters started to swarm the single ship. She had expected to feel some apprehension at the sight, but found that she was not anxious at all.

Ever since the day that she first seen the malakhim shl Adonai* with her own eyes, she had begun to sense things that she had never been able to before. Things that would have troubled her in the past no longer did, and things she would have never noticed previously now stood out clearly to her.

"_You will make it, my Eratite friends. Do not despair at the host that has encamped against you. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand… but Yahweh will see to it that you remain unharmed."_ The woman smiled faintly as she watched the exchange, which ended much more quickly than the Eratites expected judging by their reactions.

* * *

><p>"They're… they're gone!" Wildstar exclaimed. "Wiped out!"<p>

"Yeah." Venture agreed simply, a bit stunned at the ferocity Wildstar had just exhibited as he mowed down the entire group of planes that had just tried to turn them back into scrap.

"Those are some guns, Captain." Wildstar turned to look back at Captain Avatar.

"They are." The old man replied, "But it looks like that was just the beginning."

Nova agreed and announced, "Three warships now approaching our position. They aren't sending out any more fighters."

"Yeah, because they don't have any more." Derek smirked.

"Be that as it may, be wary of them." Avatar instructed, "Ships less powerful than these were at Pluto… and I don't need to remind you how that ended."

Derek's brow furrowed at the mention of the slaughter at Pluto. His jaw tightened and he waited the intolerably long amount of time it took for the warships to get into weapons' range.

Finally, the first of the three ships got just close enough for Derek to hit it.

"Die, filth." He said bitterly as he shot a gigantic hole right through the center of the strangely shaped ship. Wildstar barely had time to notice the odd configuration before he blew it apart.

The second warship, not anticipating its first companion being struck down in this manner sailed right into Wildstar's firing range just as he began his second salvo.

The third warship stopped just out of the ship's firing range.

"Come on! Just a little closer, you coward." He challenged the ship, even though he knew full well the occupants couldn't hear anything he was saying.

Derek taunted the ship over and over hoping that it would dance into his range so that he could blow it out of the sky just as he had the two other ships and their fighters, but it just… sat there.

Derek finally slammed his fist into the console and stood half-way up out of his seat. "Come on already!" he shouted at the enemy. Let me finish this!"

Despite this final challenge, the third ship didn't drift any closer. Instead, two seconds later, it turned tail and ran.

There was silence on the bridge for a moment, before Venture said, "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it… We really _can_ beat them with this thing!" he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

Nova looked up from her post, a triumphant smile on her face, "That's not all we can do," she said, holding up a tablet computer which now displayed an image of the ships they had just faced. "We also just got a detailed scan of that warship. Consider it one of the first of many entries we'll be able to make about the Gamilons' ships."

"Well done, Forrester." Avatar praised the young woman. "You got information on the fighters as well, I assume."

"Of course." She replied, tapping the screen a few times and bringing up the information she had collected on the smaller planes Wildstar had just decimated.

"Very good work, all of you." Avatar addressed his three-person crew. "Venture, set her down. A crew will be in here all night moving her to the underground hangar we have prepared for her."

"Yes, Sir." Venture acknowledged and gently set the mammoth vessel back down on the scarred earth.

"Now go get some sleep." The captain ordered, "We all have a long day ahead tomorrow. The ship is to be christened, and I'm the one they convinced to do it. I'll see you all in the morning."

With that, they all dispersed, Wildstar and Venture still in a fog from what had just happened.

"Remind me never to follow you out of the barracks at night ever again." Venture said, finally starting to feel the consequences of the adrenaline rush he had just experienced. He was about to crash, and if he didn't find his bed, and quickly, Wildstar was going to have to carry him back.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 5 Notes:<strong>  
>* <em>Din<em> – a ship, name means "Vengeance"  
>* Rophi Shamayim – what the Earth-dwellers dubbed the "Cosmo DNA"<br>* Malakhim shl Adonai – angels of God


	9. Episode 6: Christening Day

**Episode 6: Christening Day**

_Darkness shrouded the great hall. It was midnight, and though the palace had many a light available to be lit, not a one of them was shining this night. The underground city was in total darkness, by the order of the Leader himself._

_All was silent except for the echo of one man's footsteps as he approached the door to the hall. Suddenly – a pause in the footsteps; would he enter and show approval, or let his displeasure be known by remaining outside? Even if he entered, would he consent to the proposed renaming?_

_All eyes strained to see the door in the darkness. Hundreds of citizens were packed into the throne room – as many as could safely stand shoulder to shoulder. This day – the day of the capitol's christening – was one that many had looked forward to ever since the announcement that the once-great Rapha'owr, most magnificent city on the face of Gamilon would be moved beneath the surface and resurrected to her former glory._

_Her new name had been decided by the people of the great city, and now they awaited the decision of their Leader to accept or reject that new name, "Belarus."_

_Not even a whisper was heard in the great hall as all waited for the sound of footsteps to resume. For a chilling minute, they did not and the people began to fear that their choice had not been to the Leader's satisfaction._

_Then suddenly, the doors to the throne room creaked and groaned as they were slowly opened. The room, however, remained in darkness, but all around, every ear heard the distinct steps of the Leader as he began his ascent to the throne._

_They all listened, hearts beating heavily, hoping for the one thing that would make this night one that would never be forgotten. Many of those assembled held their breath, waiting._

_The darkness continued to pervade the room and many began to wonder how the Leader could see to walk, but he had been known to do many extraordinary things – especially during the rebellion that had brought him here to rule over them – as was his birthright._

_In one instant, a brilliant light appeared, shining down on the one man who walked the narrow path to the front of the hall._

_Its brilliance blinded many of the onlookers, and they had to look away for a moment to recover their vision, but just as many continued to try to stare at the scene, blinded or not._

_The Leader's footsteps had stopped the instant the light blazed on and some wondered if he too had been blinded by the light, but just as soon as they had all recovered enough to see him, they realized their mistake. He was not blind, merely waiting for them to be able to see him as he continued his journey. He did not even appear uncomfortable in the sudden brilliance._

_He stood tall – over six feet. His head of orange-blonde hair stood out starkly in contrast with his blue skin-tone. The uniform he wore was similar to the one his father – the deceased Deun I – had worn a decade earlier when he had ruled the world. Blue-gray in color, the uniform was highly formal – stating that though he had once fought alongside rebels in a camp cobbled together with whatever they could scrounge, he now stood before them every bit a ruler. The black cloak that shrouded him was blood-red on the inside, making him appear, to the imaginative eye, as much like an avenging angel as an aspiring king._

_Every eye was in awe as many of them gazed upon their Leader for the first or second time in their lives. They had all glimpsed him on his coronation day years before, but now – now they all saw him clearly, noting the determined green eyes and the jaw set in a hard, unbending line. Some also noted the odd scarf he wore with his crimson collar of office. The gray material seemed to gleam in a way that the rest of the uniform did not, but no one dared speculate why he had chosen to wear it, or where he had gotten such an odd article._

_The one thing that – though many may have noticed – none dared look at for long was the single black glove that the Leader wore which completely concealed his left hand. It was more odd even than the glowing scarf._

_The weapon he carried at his side was, in contrast, widely admired and whispered about as he began walking once again, making his way to the throne. The weapon was obviously of Iscandri construction, and many speculated on how the Leader had come to possess it. The hand gun shone in all its golden brilliance in the bright spotlight that followed the Leader on his trek, eliciting murmurs of approval as he passed person after person._

_Suddenly, the near-silence was broken when several men and women began to chant the name of their Leader, just as they had on the day he had been crowned._

"_Desslok – Desslok – Desslok –" they all began to herald the Leader in unison, becoming louder and louder as he came closer to the throne._

_The Leader looked neither to the right, nor to the left as he went; his gaze fixed on his goal._

_The din of the crowd around him did not seem to distract him in the least as he continued onwards. If anything, the people's voices fueled him._

_He reached the dais upon which the throne rested and came to a sudden halt._

_The voices ceased._

_Silence, deathly silence suddenly reigned._

_The Leader raised his head and gazed upward, the circle of light still surrounding him alone. The brilliance fell over him like a waterfall of light, almost as though he were receiving some divine anointing from on high._

_But almost as soon as the moment began, it was ended as the Leader took his first step up to the throne._

_One step, and then another; then he was there, before the throne he had claimed what seemed like an eternity ago._

_He turned towards his people and began to speak._

Leader Desslok looked out over the crowd of officers assembled before him – a far different group than the one he had faced at the renaming of the capitol. These were seasoned men of war. Many of them had fought in the countless conflicts with the Cometines twenty, thirty, even forty years ago. One or two had even been alive to witness the restoration of Iscandar over a hundred and ten years ago.

In the presence of such men, the Leader had to fight not to feel inferior to them in at least some small way. After all – as he reminded himself almost daily – he too had fought his share of battles, some far more gruesome than any of these before him had ever seen in all their years of space warfare. And when it came to the art of the sword, he was by far their master. The nature of his war with his brother had dictated that it be so. So much of that conflict had been waged hand-to-hand, his brother's army within shouting distance of his own.

That had been a war for the very soul of Gamilon. "Deun the Usurper" as he had come to be known, had enlisted the aid of a cult, whose presence had – then – been felt planet-wide for many years. The cult, known as "The Followers of Guardiana" worshipped a dark spirit and its host.

The Leader would have simply found and eradicated the host, but there were – as usual – complications with that approach. The host was his own grandmother, a woman of much treachery and the means to do whatever she wished, even under the scrutiny of Leader Desslok himself.

Thankfully the woman, known now as "Aurelia Guardiana" had fled Gamilon for reasons unknown to them. Her presence had not been felt or heard of since shortly after Desslok had dethroned his brother.

Things were much different now with the leader of the Guardiana followers gone and Gamilon continuing to suffer from those cursed tsarebetim* that plagued the world. In some ways the world was much more settled than it had been before, but in others… it was more tumultuous than ever.

Leader Desslok stepped up to the railing of the balcony on which he stood to oversee this gathering. The amphitheater was packed now. Every seat held an occupant, and there were even some who had had to remain standing just to get into the enormous room.

The amphitheater was long and narrow with the Leader's perch being at the far end away from the entrance. Rows of seats lined each wall from top to bottom, providing a way for all to see the Leader at once and be recognized should they be allowed to speak during the assembly.

Desslok's eyes roamed the great expanse, searching for the one face he knew would not be present, the face of Admiral Raymond Talan, the one man in the GRN* who still openly persisted in opposing the plans to conquer Erats. But though he stood against the Leader, Desslok would never think of taking the usual steps to silence the man. He respected the Admiral far too much to resort to that. Raymond Talan had been the closest thing he had had to a father for most of his life. To deal treacherously with him… _that_ would be unspeakable. The Admiral was also the father of the one man Desslok had always considered his friend, Masterson – another face the Leader would not be seeing today.

After an intense argument – again involving the Erats situation – Desslok had declared that Masterson was to leave aboard a patrol ship and not return to Gamilon – or anywhere nearby – until he was so bidden.

It was the worst regret the Leader had ever had. Many a time he had thought about recalling Masterson to Gamilon, but he had been forced to deny that wish by… other forces.

Desslok looked now, not only at the men assembled here, but at the deep shadows that seemed to shroud portions of the room. He peered into them, looking for something he had only ever seen out of the corner of his eye, something he hoped he would never see clearly. He dared not mention it to anyone, lest they think him mad for thinking that he had spoken with a spirit of any kind, much less the one he had spoken with frequently ever since Masterson had been sent away.

The best thing he could do now was endure until Erats and her infuriatingly stubborn populace had been subdued.

There had been so many changes since the war for the throne. Not the least of them was the absence of the sword Desslok had become so accustomed to wearing. The Leader felt strange wearing no sword now. It had been so long since his blade had graced his side, but he had never forgotten the weight of it, the feel of it as it hung faithfully with the handgun he always wore. He sometimes found himself reaching for his sword at times of great triumph, or great frustration.

Now… all he had to reach for was empty air, so he had taken to raising his hands high as his sign of a decisive victory, or of some great announcement that he wished to proclaim to his people.

Today was one of those days.

The gathering before him was getting loud – even a bit boisterous.

Desslok made his presence known to the group, raising his gloved left hand in a request for silence.

The crowd instantly stilled.

"Gentlemen." Desslok began, his voice echoing through the great hall, sounding much grander than he had anticipated. "Today we gather here to speak of the continuing efforts to occupy a new homeworld for our people. It has come to my attention that we have encountered some… resistance from the Eratites."

At this murmurs of disbelief began to rise until the Leader went on, "These insurgents will be dealt with speedily. We have no time to waste and General Lysis assures me that he is doing everything he can to see that the incident of yesterday does not occur again."

Desslok paused and recognized an aged man sitting half-way up the wall on the right, closer to the entrance than the Leader.

"How do we know that this_ won't_ happen again?" the man asked, his tone insistent, but respectful. "That is exactly what we thought about the Cometines right before they stripped Iscandar."

Desslok nodded, "You have a fair point, General Hegel, but Dommel Lysis was not there when Iscandar was ravaged."

The old general accepted the Leader's rebuke, but something in his face told Desslok that he did not truly accept that as an answer.

"I know you do not all share the confidence I have in our military commander, but had you seen the skill and courage that he exhibited during the years I fought beside him, you would." The Leader continued. "I do not doubt his ability, and neither should you. He has prepared for this. He will not fail."

Not a single voice rose in protest. Those who sided with the Leader had no reason to say anything, and the few who harbored thoughts of doubting him, dared not speak their minds – at least… not yet.

* * *

><p>"My friends." Captain Abraham Avatar stood on the deck of the rebuilt <em>Yamato<em> battleship holding a glass of one of the world's most precious substances – purified water. "Today we are gathered here to witness something this planet has never seen before." He looked at the many lines of men and women. All of them wore the distinctive uniforms that had been designed and made for the crew of this new ship.

Each division sported a different color – sometimes two. Each group stood in one or two straight lines, their division leader standing at the front. Among the leaders were Wildstar, Venture, and Nova Forrester, along with many others including Patrick Orion, the veteran Avatar had said had always been his chief engineer. Apparently, this time would be no different. The strange Doctor, Sado Sane, was there as well, his squinty eyes looking out from behind his wire-framed glasses.

"Today we celebrate a new beginning," Avatar continued, "And with that beginning, we also must commemorate an ending," he held his glass up in a toast, "Today we give this grand ship a new name, one that hails from centuries passed, and holds in it the spirit we have sought to embody. Today '_Yamato_' becomes '_Argo_'_."_

There were murmurs all through the crowd, especially from those of Japanese descent.

"Don't worry," the Captain reassured them. "The name _'Yamato'_ is not gone forever. I know that to many of you she will always be known by her first name, but in honor of her resurrection – her second life, the EDF thought it fitting to also give her a second name."

The mutterings of disapproval turned into murmurs of understanding and appreciation.

"Now, just as the ship this one was renamed for set out on a voyage of great importance, so we must soon set out on one of much greater importance." The captain scanned the room, noting the expressions of determination that had settled on each and every face, young and old alike. "Let us remember this moment for as long as we live." And with that, he drank the water he had been holding through his entire speech.

It was cool and clear, just as all of Earth's water had once been. Now, clean water was a luxury to be rationed. Every one of the men and women assembled drank with care and soberly gazed upon the newly dubbed _Argo_, the ships that would be their home for who knew how long.

Avatar set his empty glass aside.

"Now, you all know that this journey must be accomplished in one year or less in order for it to succeed."

All nodded.

"The launch date was originally scheduled for November, but" the captain sighed heavily, "in light of the recent attack on the _Argo's_ previous location, it has been decided that the launch will be moved up to this week."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

"If any of you wish to stay here instead of coming with us to Iscandar, you may do so. No one will think any less of you for staying." The soft din of the crowd ceased and Avatar continued, "You have all been briefed on the message we received from this strange ally we seem to have gotten from no-one-knows-where. Is it difficult to believe? Yes, it is. But is it impossible?" the captain looked straight into the eyes of every division leader, finally stopping at Derek Wildstar, "Many have given their lives to see that we stand here today. I would be a fool to say that what is to come will be easy, but I would also be a fool to say that it is impossible."

There was a moment of utter silence as everyone digested the captain's words.

Then, Avatar went on, "'While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.*' Today the Earth herself still remains. We must have faith that the times and seasons will one day soon be set right again. We must hold on to that promise. I know that not all of you share the views I do, but I believe that we _will_ succeed in this mission. Earth _will_ be restored, and we _will_ return home and see our home green and blooming once again."

Suddenly a great roaring cheer erupted among the men and women, and even those who didn't agree with the captain's religious tendencies did agree that they would at least do their best to save and restore their home. To think otherwise was… not an option. They _had_ to succeed. They just _had_ to.

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 6 Notes:<strong>  
>* tsarebetim - scars<br>* GRN – Gamilon Royal Navy  
>* Genesis 8:22<p> 


End file.
